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Scenes on the Mississippi River

August 23, 2016 - Joe Royer, owner and founder of Outdoors, Inc., takes his kayak our for a sunset paddle on the Mississippi River as river barge passes. Royer has been a vocal proponent of recreational use of the river in Memphis for decades and founded the Outdoors Inc. Canoe and Kayak Race 35 years ago.

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Scenes on the Mississippi River

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August 23, 2016 - Joe Royer, owner and founder of Outdoors, Inc., takes his kayak our for a sunset paddle on the Mississippi River as river barge passes. Royer has been a vocal proponent of recreational use of the river in Memphis for decades and founded the Outdoors Inc. Canoe and Kayak Race 35 years ago.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 23, 2016 - The lights of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge reflect in the Memphis harbor at dusk.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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September 16, 2016 - Volunteer Tricee Fuson (from left) encourages Shauna Taylor, 15, Destyine Rice,16, and Qamra Muhammad, 14, into the Mississippi River as a group from the Carpenter Art Garden breaks for lunch during a guided trip down the Mississippi River with the Quapaw Canoe Company. Quapaw says they have a "No Child Left on Shore" policy as they work to connect people with the river that can be intimidating to some.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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September 12, 2016 - Seaman David Simon (left) and seaman Ken Nguyen finish attaching steal cables to concrete blocks used to anchor buoys in the Mississippi River aboard the USCGC Kankakee. The red and green buoys are used by river boat pilots to identify where the river's constantly evolving channel is located. The crew of the Kankakee monitor the buoys and alter their positions every two weeks as the dynamic river rises and falls.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 28, 2016 - Tim Gray, from Muscatine, Iowa, watches the sunset from the sun deck of the American Queen steamboat. Gray recently retired from a life working on the Upper Mississippi River and decided to take his wife on the river boat for the full 23 day journey down the river from Red Wing, Minn. to New Orleans, La.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 23, 2016 - Golden light dances across the water as the sunsets behind the Mississippi River. It is not uncommon for people to flock down to the river to watch spectacular sunsets from the bluffs of Memphis.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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September 16, 2016 - Dantonio Gibson (left) and Nakia Greer (right), along with other students from the Carpenter Art Garden, paddle into Memphis under the Hernando DeSoto Bridge while on a trip down the Mississippi River guided by John Ruskey (center, background) and his Quapaw Canoe Company.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 11, 2016 - Connie Trippett from Ripley, Tennessee fishing for catfish on the Mississippi River inside of the Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge in Lauderdale County, Tennessee. Trippett was a nurse at the nearby West Tennessee State Penitentiary until she hurt her knee and had to give it up. She was married for 16 years when her husband passed away in 2013 after a fight with cancer. "I used to go with my husband but I just quit doing everything when he passed," she said about her love of fishing. Recently her sister moved closer and Connie started fishing with her just this last week. "I had a heart attack in November and thought, I'm going to start enjoying my life. What's left that is."
Brad Vest, The Commercial Appeal

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September 14, 2016 - Joe Royer, a vocal proponent of recreational use of the Mississippi River, takes his morning shower on the dock where he stores his many kayaks in the Memphis harbor. Royer, who estimates he spends around 300 days each year paddling on the river, will often take a boat out on the river in the morning and then bathe and shave on his dock before heading to work.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 23, 2016 - The lights of Beale Street Landing glow as the sun sets on a kayak in the Memphis harbor. The project, completed in 2014 at a cost $43.6 million, was recently named the best marina or port in the world by an international architectural awards program topping Barcelona, Copenhagen, San Francisco and Bodrum, Turkey.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 23, 2016 - The Memphis skyline can be seen under the Hernando DeSoto Bridge crossing the Mississippi River. The bridge takes its name from Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto who is believed to be the first European explorer to cross the mighty river.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 28, 2016 - A rope is coiled on the bow of the American Queen steamboat as it travels down the Mississippi River. The boat consistently runs at or near capacity with people seeking to experience the river on trips that range in length from 3 days to as many as 23 days.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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September 16, 2016 - Qamra Muhammad, 14, has clay from the bottom of the Mississippi River smeared on her face while playing in the river during a guided canoe trip into Memphis.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 28, 2016 - A worker steps onto the Jody Davenport tow boat in the Mississippi River harbor in New Madrid, Mo. The boat, owned by Memphis' Economy Boat Store, was contracted to help with drudging efforts in New Madrid.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 28, 2016 - Crew members of the American Queen steamboat work to pull the one of the boarding ramps back onto the bow of the ship as it leaves port in New Madrid, Mo.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 28, 2016 - Jay Chalmers, of Nashville, Tenn., plays the calliope, a steam organ, while Linda Jennings, of Mentone, Ca. listens as the American Queen steamboat sets off from New Madrid, Mo. bound for it's next stop in Memphis, Tenn. Each time the ship leaves port a calliope concert ensues that can be heard on shore as well as on the boat.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 28, 2016 - Sisters Sylvia Landis, from Pottstown, Pa., and Anna Jeffreys, from Riverside, Pa., take a dip in the pool on the sun deck of the American Queen steamboat while it makes it's way downstream.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 28, 2016 - A rainbow appears in the spray from the paddle wheel as the American Queen steamboat makes it's way down the Mississippi River. The six-deck, 418-foot-long steamboat is the largest navigating American Rivers.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 28, 2016 - Cathy Fowler, from Blythe, Ga., reads on the sun deck of the American Queen as it passes under the Interstate 155 bridge while the boat makes it's way down river from New Madrid, Mo. to Memphis.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 28, 2016 - Sandy Kurtz (left) and Mary White, both of Syracuse, N.Y., gaze off the side of the American Queen steamboat from the section of the boat referred to as the Front Porch while a barge passes. The covered patio area sits outside the cafe on the ship's bow and people are often found there taking in the vistas or just swinging in one of the porch swings on the deck with a god book.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 28, 2016 - Pilot Bert Suarez guides the American Queen steamboat down the Mississippi River late at night using both sophisticated navigation and equipment as well as a timeless spotlight to locate buoys that mark the channel.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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September 16, 2016 - Students from the Carpenter Art Garden paddle into the main channel on the Mississippi River up stream from Memphis while on a guided trip down river with the Quapaw Canoe Company. In addition to building hand crafted wooden canoes the Quapaw Canoe Company guides devote themselves to helping people experience the Mississippi River up close.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 11, 2016 - A branch from a willow lies on the banks of the Mississippi River inside of the Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge in Lauderdale County, Tennessee.
Brad Vest, The Commercial Appeal

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September 12, 2016 - United State Coast Guard MK2 Taylor Hatke helps a crane operator shift green buoys into place as the USCGC Kankakee makes it's rounds adjusting and replacing buoys that mark the navigable channel on the lower Mississippi River.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 28, 2016 - Mayflies gather by a light outside one of the exterior staterooms on the American Queen steamboat. The exterior of the boat is washed daily as it travels down the Mississippi River.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 11, 2016 - Pamela Bedwell, 63, of Ripley, Tenn., laughs with her husband about the one small catfish they managed to pull in while fishing on the banks of the Mississippi River. Bedwell said she frequents the banks of the river for reason beyond the occasional fish. "You got time for yourself out here and let the river take your thoughts." she said.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 28, 2016 - The night sky explodes with stars around the smokestacks on the American Queen steamboat. The nighttime view of the stars is remarkable as the boat travels down river far from the light pollution of cities and town.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 29, 2016 - Passengers of the American Queen steamboat are shuttled up the ramp at Beale Street Landing to waiting busses that will provide a driving tour of Memphis while the boat is docked in port for the afternoon. The river boat is estimated to have a nearly $90 million impact on the city of Memphis.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 29, 2016 - The American Queen steamboat reflects in a window of Beale Street Landing as the boat rest in port in Memphis. The river boat is estimated to have a nearly $90 million impact on the city of Memphis.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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September 12, 2016 - United State Coast Guard CPO Garrett Kravitz (left) uses binoculars to spot a river barge that ran aground the night before as commanding officer CWO Thad Wagner tries to make radio contact with the boat from the USCGC Kankakee. The ship is responsible for monitoring and marking the ever-changing channel on the Mississippi River.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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September 12, 2016 - Seaman David Simon lassos a green buoy from United States Coast Guard cutter Kankakee. The ship is responsible for keeping the channel of the ever-changing Lower Mississippi sector marked for boat passage. The ship has a crew of 13 and is the only river tender with female crew members.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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Clouds are seen rolling over the Mississippi River.
FILE / THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL

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September 16, 2016 - John Ruskey, owner of the Quapaw Canoe Company, splashes water on his face after taking a quick dip in the Mississippi River while waiting for a group of children he is scheduled to guide down the river to arrive at the boat dock in Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park. "It's better than a cup of coffee." Ruskey declared as he stepped out of the cool water.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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September 14, 2016 - A monarch butterfly rests in the vegetation on the Mississippi River under the Hernando DeSoto Bridge connecting Memphis with Arkansas.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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September 16, 2016 - Foot prints mark the sand along the Mississippi River on Brandywine Island as a group of students from the Carpenter Art Garden break for lunch during a guided trip down the river from Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park to downtown Memphis.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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September 16, 2016 - Nakia Greer, 14, winces as one of his classmates from the Carpenter Art Garden step on him while he's buried in the sand on Brandywine Island. The Carpenter Art Garden seeks to help children in the Binghampton neighborhood of Memphis by exposing them to artistic, educational and vocational programs. The group of student canoed 17 miles of the Mississippi River into Memphis guided by John Ruskey and the Quapaw Canoe Company.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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September 16, 2016 - Qamra Muhammad, 14, buries Cedric Rice, 10, in the sand on Brandywine Island as they break for lunch during a guided canoe trip down the Mississippi River with the Quapaw Canoe Company.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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The American Queen steamboat reflects in a window of Beale Street Landing as the boat rests in port in Memphis on August 29, 2016.
Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal

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August 11, 2016 - A weathered and water worn tree root ball is lodged in the sand along the banks of the Mississippi River near Fulton, Tenn.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 11, 2016 - Greg Bedwell prepares to release a small catfish back into the Mississippi River when he and his wife didn't catch enough to make a meal while fishing near Fulton, Tenn.
Mike Brown, The Commercial Appeal

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August 23, 2016 - Joe Royer, owner and founder of Outdoors, Inc., takes his kayak our for a sunset paddle on the Mississippi River as river barge passes. Royer has been a vocal proponent of recreational use of the river in Memphis for decades and founded the Outdoors Inc. Canoe and Kayak Race 35 years ago.